This campaign: Immigrant and Refugee Communities – Neighbours, Friends and Families (IRCNFF) – a campaign within immigrant and refugee communities in Ontario

The goal of the Immigrant and Refugee Communities - Neighbours, Friends and Families (IRCNFF) Campaign is to raise awareness about the warning signs of woman abuse and promote bystander intervention within immigrant and refugee communities across Ontario. IRCNFF also aims to raise awareness about the unique barriers newcomer women face when they are seeking support for abuse, and advocate for the elimination of those barriers.

History of IRCNFF

The IRCNFF Campaign has been growing across Ontario since it was launched in 2012.

Thanks to tireless effort, visioning and community engagement by staff, volunteers and community members, 9 community agencies carried out IRCNFF Campaign work within immigrant and refugee communities from 2012-2016. These projects were as follows:

COSTI Immigrant Services delivered Campaign material to English Language Class instructors and students

St. Stephen’s Community House recruited students from English Language Classes to develop a photo-based novel to encourage fellow students and newcomers to oppose woman abuse.

Newcomer Women’s Services Toronto promoted the Campaign in South Asian communities in the GTA, York and Durham region.

Social Services Network York Region translated existing Campaign materials into Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, and Gujarati and hosted community events and a provincial conference to promote the Campaign

Family Services Toronto partnered with Somali organizations to promote the Campaign in Somali communities in the GTA, Hamilton, and, Kitchener-Waterloo

Multicultural Council of Windsor and Essex County promoted the Campaign to immigrant and refugee communities in the Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent region

Hamilton Urban Core Community Health Centre promoted the Campaign through the provincial network of Community Health Centres

The Role of OCASI in the IRCNFF Campaign

OCASI - Ontario Coalition of Agencies Serving Immigrants has been working violence against women prevention for the past 14 years.

From 2012-2016, OCASI was funded to support the provincial coordination of IRCNFF Campaign activities, develop this website, and coordinate online information in collaboration with community partners. This project benefitted settlement sector practitioners and communities of interest.

From 2016-2019, OCASI will sustain IRCNFF Campaign’s momentum and expand its reach by taking a lead role in recruiting and training Peer Champions across Ontario. These Peer Champions will be trained in violence against women prevention and hold events in their communities.

The IRCNFF Campaign Coordinator at OCASI will also create new campaign resources in collaboration with immigrant and refugee communities across Ontario. This grassroots strategy will dispel harmful stereotypes and spark action on woman abuse.